Listography 1

A couple of Christmases ago, JSpence took Danica and I shopping on Commerical Drive in search of eclectic gifts. We happened upon a really cool store with jewelry, books, wrapping paper, napkins, and other kitsch-y type things.

Needless to say, it was pretty cool in there. I bought Lisa a really cool owl necklace, which I had been trying to find her for like, 6 months, and I think Danica also had some gift luck. The biggest success of the day went to JSpence, for finding in this store a single copy of a book called Listography for her sister, who is lovely AND sometimes scares the bajeesus out of me.

Listography is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a book with a bunch of lists names and blank lines. You take the theme of the list, and you fill the lines in accordingly.

I LOVE making lists. When I travel, I make lists up the whazoo. It’s tons of fun, so obviously this book fascinated me. Sadly, there was only the one copy in this shop.

For Christmas this year, Lisa managed to get her hands on another copy, and bequeathed it unto Danica, who also loves to make lists. Ever since, I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for a list book of my own. Finally, I spied one at Indigo.

It was a little while ago, and it’s taken a bit to get up the nerve to actually buy a book that is about 70% blank. Today, I had a bad day at work and caved. I’ve decided to do a mini-series of blogs where I complete some of the lists in this book, because list blogs are my favorite kind of blogs. So without further AYO (Get it Jenn?), here is the first 10 lists in my book.

List of Pets and Their Names

            Tigger

                        Tigger was my very first pet. He was a Siamese Fighting Fish, and I was quite proud of him. He was red and purple but never did the cool thing where they get defensive over their own reflections. I accidentally killed him when I was changing his water one night. The temperature change gave him a heart attack.

            Joey

                        Arthur and I had a guinea pig when we were young. I liked him a fair amount, but he bit my chest once and I never forgave him. He liked to eat dandelions, and everyone in my family was allergic to him. When he died, my mom told the Leeks family before she told me, which I have also never forgiven.

List Your Closest Friends (No hard feelings)

            Andrea

                        Andrea and I have been friends since I was 4 months old and she was born. Our fathers are really good friends from high school, and our moms are close as a result. Her mom used to babysit Arthur and I in the summers. She’s a sister to me. No matter how much or little we get to see one another, nothing ever changes with our relationship. Also, for our entire childhoods, we used to watch Grease every Saturday night and dance around my living room. It was good times.

            Danica

                        I’ve known Danica since I started choir 14 years ago. I remember that in Junior Choir she sat in front of me, and she had really nice hair that I always wanted to braid because it was right in front of my face. People often tell us that we’re like an old married couple, which concerns the part of my that thinks that people think that we’re lesbians. We may not be lesbians, but she’s definitely my life partner.

            Ashley

                        I remember that Ashley used to scare the shit out of me because she was good, and older and taller than I was. I remember seeing her in the EMS production of Annie and thinking “I’m going to grow up and be like her”. Anyways, we’ve gotten quite close over the past few years. Contrary to what I feel like some people think, I don’t just use her for her lovely lovely babies. Though they ARE lovely.

            Lisa

                        I love Lisa. She’s never on time and sometimes she completely forgets that we have plans, but she is lovely and well-meaning. Danica, Lisa and I are a beautiful sunset. And quite frankly, I don’t think I would have had any fun in high school without this lovely weirdo.

            Jenna

                        Jenna is probably one of the people in my life that I admire most. She is crazy smart and quick witted, and I just know that she’s going to do amazing things in her life. And more than anyone, I feel like she and I are kindred spirits. Like, sometimes she admits things about herself that I am too embarrassed to admit about myself, like my undying love and support for the Olsen twins.

            Jennifer Kelly

                        I feel like Jenn and I get closer and closer with every time we hang out. We are close in a relatively new way, but hanging out with Jenn has always been really easy. Most of the time, we just watch TV but we always have fun. And Jenn lets me indulge in the weird parts of myself. AVPM is proof.

List the Places You Have Lived

            White Rock/ South Surrey

                        This is the only place that I have actually lived. White Rock is pretty decent. It’s full of old people, and I hate driving because of them, but the town is small and the beach is right there which always makes summer a lovely time. I’m a little on the outskirts, a bit into farm country, which I think is what makes me so discordant in my character.

List Your Favorite Films

            Lion King

                        I really really love the Lion King. The music is good, the story is lovely, and it has a great cast of character actors. And as I am I fan of the little moments, I have to point out the animation when Simba is running back to the Pridelands to battle Scar. The lines when he is running are gorgeous.

            Say Anything

                        I always say that I would have been an excellent teenager during the 80s. I would go as far as to say that I would have rivaled Molly Ringwald herself. This movie is my favorite of all 80s flicks. It’s John Cusack, Peter Gabriel and the boom box over his head. It’s iconic. Not to mention that Lloyd Dobler is the greatest romantic lead ever written. Ok, not really. But I am very fond of him.

            Singing in the Rain

                        I can’t believe that I only watched this for the first time 2 months ago. Gene Kelly is a fucking fox. This musical is all about the tap dancing, and I LOVE the tap dancing. This is such a classic musical. I love it.

List Your Past Jobs

            I haven’t really had any jobs before the one I have now. Mostly filing and whatnot, but I did work at…

            Choralstage

                        One summer, I was hired by my choir conductor to work with an autistic girl at the choir/musical theatre program he runs in the summer. I was working with Ashley in Vancouver, singing every day, putting together a musical showcase. The pay was less than desirable, but it was so much fun and probably the best job I’ve ever had. The teenagers love me, and this job is probably part of the reason I got to sing with Paul Halley this summer. Which was fucking sweet.

List the Countries You’ve Visited

            The United States of America

                        Yeah, I’ve been there. I’ve stayed in Ashland, Anaheim, San Diego and Orlando. The theme parks down there are out of this world. I wish I lived in one of them. It would never ever get dull. Also, Ashland’s Shakespeare Festival was some of the greatest times I ever had in high school.

            England

                        Went with choir, saw the sights. Liked it a fair amount, especially Cambridge. That was a lovely little outing. The theatre there is amazing as well. Everything is expensive though.

            Wales

                        I loved Wales. I wish we had been able to explore a bit more, but alas, we were on competition grounds most of the trip. The landscape is lovely though, probably the loveliest I will ever witness. All the rolling green hills and rivers running through it. I quite enjoyed my time there.

            Czech Republic

                        I LOVE Prague. If I could live anywhere, it would be this city. I feel like I was perfectly suited to it. It’s all cobble stone and old old buildings, and dry heat. There was not a moment in Prague that I was not thankful to be there. Everything about it was amazing. Contemplating the Prague field school, just to go back. I feel like it’s my second home.

            France

                        We stayed in Paris. I was not a fan. It’s too humid, and it’s dirty. They have all these lovely landmarks, but they are wide spread and set against industrial backdrops. Overall not a fan.